The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the art of turbomachines and, more particularly, to a turbomachine wheel assembly having slotted flanges.
Gas turbomachines include a compressor portion linked to a turbine portion through a common compressor/turbine shaft and a combustor assembly. The compressor portion guides compressed air flow through a number of sequential stages toward the combustor assembly. In the combustor assembly, the compressed air flow mixes with a fuel to form a combustible mixture. The combustible mixture is combusted in the combustor assembly to form hot gases. The hot gases are guided to the turbine portion through a transition piece. The hot gases expand through the turbine portion acting upon turbine blades mounted on wheels to create work that is output, for example, to power a generator, a pump, or to provide power to a vehicle.
Multiple wheels are connected to spacers by bolted joints to form a stacked wheel assembly. Typically, D-nuts are employed at one end of a fastener portion of the bolted joint. In some cases, the D-nuts act upon one another to prevent rotation of the fastener portion while a nut is tightened on an opposing end. In other cases, the D-nuts act upon an outer/inner, flange extensions/arms on the wheel. In such cases, the D-nuts apply an radial force to the outer/inner flange extensions/arms.